MEMBER MONDAY: NORWOOD VIVIANO

Tell us about yourself!Norwood Viviano, I currently live in Plainwell, Michigan, but I grew up in the greater Detroit area and was introduced to glass as a student at Alfred University in 1992. The hotshop at Alfred was full of contagious energy. It was the place to be and the community was engaging and supportive.

What draws you to the material you work with?Glass is one of the most challenge and rewarding materials to work – I’m constantly learning and responding as my understanding of the material evolves. Blowing and kilncasting offer distinctly different ways of solving problems with the material, but I find they both compliment the concepts I’m currently developing and exploring in my work.

What themes do you pursue in your work?My work is about change. I utilizing digital 3D computer modeling and printing technology in tandem with glassblowing and casting processes to create work depicting population shifts tied to the dynamic between industry and community. By showing how landscapes and populations move and are modified as a result of industry, my work creates a 3D lens to view that which is invisible or forgotten.

If you weren't working in this field, what career would you choose?If I hadn’t become a fine artist/craftsperson, I would have found my way to industrial design or architecture. These are areas I also studied while earning my MFA in sculpture at the Cranbrook Academy of Art and areas that continue to be interests and influence my work today.

Why are you a member of GAS?As an artist who also teaches full time, I believe strongly in the importance of community. Glass has an incredible community and GAS helps me stay connected to fellow members. GAS conferences have become just as much about the “family reunion – reconnecting with my peers in person” as well as seeing some of the newest trends in the field.